Modular cap for deck post

ABSTRACT

A deck system according to an example of the present disclosure includes a deck post cap having opposing first and second sides, with the second side being attached to an end of a deck post, and the first side including an aperture. A light post is provided that includes opposing first and second ends. The first end of the light post is received into the aperture, and the second end of the light post includes a slot that extends across the second end in a direction transverse to a central longitudinal axis of the light post. The slot can be used to receive string lights.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/746,752 which was filed on Oct. 17, 2018, and is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This application relates to lighting, and more particularly to a methodand system for providing string lighting for a deck.

Lights can be hung on decks during holidays, parties, or special eventsto provide a decorative appearance. Usually this requires wrapping astring of lights around a railing or connecting the string of lights tothe deck with hooks, which can be labor intensive.

SUMMARY

A deck system according to an example of the present disclosure includesa deck post cap having opposing first and second sides, with the secondside being attached to an end of a deck post, and the first sideincluding an aperture. A light post is provided that includes opposingfirst and second ends. The first end of the light post is received intothe aperture, and the second end of the light post includes a slot thatextends across the second end in a direction transverse to a centrallongitudinal axis of the light post. The slot can be used to receivestring lights.

A lighting kit according to an example of the present disclosureincludes a deck post cap having opposing first and second sides, thefirst side including a first aperture, and the second side including asecond aperture sized for attachment to an end of a deck post. Thelighting kit also includes a light post having opposing first and secondends, the first end configured for insertion into the first aperture,and the second end including a slot sized to receive a string of lights.

A method of hanging string lights to a deck according to an example ofthe present disclosure includes mounting a first end of a light post toan end of a deck post, and inserting a string to which a plurality oflights are attached into a slot at a second end of the light post thatis opposite the first end.

The embodiments, examples, and alternatives of the preceding paragraphs,the claims, or the following description and drawings, including any oftheir various aspects or respective individual features, may be takenindependently or in any combination. Features described in connectionwith one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments, unless suchfeatures are incompatible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a deck system that includes a deck andstring lights.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an example deck post cap thatcan be used in the deck system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an exploded diagram of a light post,deck post, and deck post cap that can be used in the deck system of FIG.1.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an assembly that includes thecomponents of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5A-D schematically illustrate examples of decorative caps that canbe inserted into deck post caps of the deck system of FIG. 1 in place oflight posts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a deck system 10 that includes anoutdoor deck 12 and string lights 13. The deck 12 includes floor boards16 and a plurality of deck posts 18 that are substantially perpendicularto the floor boards 16. A plurality of spindles 19 are located betweenadjacent ones of the deck posts 18. A deck post cap 20 is attached to anend of each deck post 18. A railing 22 is located over the spindles 19.Each deck post cap 20 has an associated light post 24 that extendsupwards from each deck post 18 to the string lights 13, which include astring 14 to which a plurality of lights 15 are attached.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an example deck post cap 20.The deck post cap 20 includes a body 26 having opposing first and secondsides 28A-B. An aperture 30 is formed in a middle of the first side 28Aand extends into the body 26 of the deck post cap 20. In one example,the deck post cap 20 is made of wood. In another example, the deck postcap 20 is made of metal or a composite, such as fiberglass or plastic.In another example, the deck post cap 20 is made of wood, and theaperture 30 is lined in metal or a composite.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an exploded diagram of an example lightpost 24, deck post 18, and deck post cap 20. As shown in FIG. 3, thedeck post cap 20 includes the aperture 30 in the first side 28A, andalso includes an aperture 32 in the second side 28B. In the example ofFIG. 3, the aperture 30 is a blind hole.

An end 34 of the deck post 18 is receivable into the aperture 32 formounting the deck post cap 20 to the end 34 of the deck post. In oneexample, the deck post cap 20 is glued to the end 34 of the deck post 18for long term attachment.

The light post 24 has a length L1 and extends along a centrallongitudinal axis A between opposing first and second ends 40A-B. Thefirst end 40A is receivable into the aperture 30, and the second end 40Bincludes a slot 42 that extends across the second end in a directiontransverse to the central longitudinal axis A. In one example, the slot42 extends perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis A. The slot 42is sized to receive the string 14 of the string lights 13.

The aperture 30 includes a first area 50 having a first width W1 and atleast partially defined by an inner wall 51. The aperture 30 alsoincludes a second area 52 having a second width W2 and at leastpartially defined by an inner wall 53. The first area 50 is closer tothe first side 28A of the deck post cap 20 than the second area 52. Thesecond width W2 is less than the first width W1. The aperture 32 has awidth W3 that is greater than each of the widths W1 and W2.

The first end 40A of the light post 24 includes a cavity 56 having aninner wall 57. A threaded rod 60 is provided that is sized for threadedengagement with each of the inner wall 53 of the second area 52 and theinner wall 57 of the cavity 56. In the example of FIG. 3, the threadedrod 60 includes opposing ends 62A-B which are each threaded.

The first cavity 30 includes a seating surface 64 which can be used toabut the first end 40A of the light post 24.

In one example, the light post 24 can be made of metal, wood orcomposite. In another example, the light post 24 is made of wood, andthe first end 40A and/or second end 40B are made of metal or composite.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an assembly that includes thecomponents of FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the threaded rod 60 engagesboth the inner wall 53 and the inner wall 57, and the first end 40A ofthe light post 24 abuts the seating surface 64. Also, the deck post 18is received into the aperture 32 for securing the deck post cap 20 tothe deck post.

The threaded rod 60 can have differing lengths, such that the rod 60 canextend further into the light post 24 and/or can extend further into thedeck post cap 20. In one example, the threaded rod extends through thedeck post cap 20 and into the deck post 18.

FIG. 5A-D schematically illustrate examples of decorative caps 70A-Dthat can be inserted into the deck post caps 20 in place of the lightposts 24. Each cap 70 has an associated length L2 that is shorter thanthe length L1 of the light post 24. Caps 70A-C each include a respectivecavity 74A-C for receiving the threaded rod 60. Cap 70D includes athreaded post 78 configured to engage the inner wall 51 of the firstarea 50 of the aperture 30. The decorative caps 70 can be rotatedrelative to the deck post cap 20 to attach the decorative cap 70 to thedeck post cap 20 through threaded engagement.

In one example, the decorative caps 70A-D are made of metal, composite,or wood. In another example, the decorative caps 70 are made of wood,and the cavities 74A-C are made of metal or composite.

When one wants to attach string lights 13 to the deck 10, the respectivedecorative caps 70 can be removed from each deck post 18 by rotating thedecorative cap 70 relative to the deck post cap 20. The light post 24can then be rotated to engage the deck post cap 20. The first end 40A ofthe light post 24 is located in the aperture 30 of the deck post cap 20and is rotated so that the threaded rod 60 engages both inner wall 53 ofsecond area 52 and the inner wall 57 of cavity 56. One light post 24 canbe attached to each of a plurality of the deck post caps 20. Once thelight posts 24 are secured, the string 14 of lights 15 can be locatedinto the slot 42 at the second end 40B the light post 24, as shown inFIG. 1. In one example, the string 14 of lights 15 are wedged in theslot 42 of the light post 24 to secure the string 14 of lights 15relative to the light post 24. This allows the string lights 13 to beeasily secured to the deck 12.

Once the string lights 13 are no longer needed, the string lights 13 canbe removed from the slots 42. The light post 24 can be rotated relativeto the deck post cap 20 to remove the light posts 24 from the deck postcap 20. The decorative cap 70 can be reattached to the deck post cap 20.

Although the examples above have been discussed in conjunction with thethreaded rod 60, it is understood that alternative embodiments would bepossible, such as one where a threaded member is built into the deckpost cap 20 or is built into the light post 24 and the decorative caps70.

In one example, the inner wall 53, the inner wall 57, and/or an innerwall of the cavities 74 are threaded even without engagement with thethreaded rod 60. In one example, the inner wall 51 is threaded evenwithout engagement with the decorative caps 70D.

Although a deck post 18 including a deck post cap 20 with an aperture 30is illustrated and described, it is possible that the aperture 30 andits threads can be part of the deck post 18, such that and there is nodeck post cap 20.

In one example, both the aperture 30 in the deck post cap 20 and thefirst end 40A of the light post 24 do not include threads. In thisexample, the first end 40A of the light post 24 is inserted in theaperture 30 of the deck post cap 20 to easily attach the light post 24to the deck post cap 20 of the deck 12. In this example, the decorativecaps 70 can also omit threads.

In one example the deck post cap 20, light post 24, threaded rod 60, andone or more of the decorative caps 70A-D are provided as a kit so that auser can readily switch between using the caps 70 and the light post 24.

Also, although a particular deck post cap 20 has been disclosed, it isunderstood that other deck post caps could be used.

Although example embodiments have been disclosed, a worker of ordinaryskill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would comewithin the scope of this disclosure. For that reason, the followingclaims should be studied to determine the scope and content of thisdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A deck system comprising: a deck post cap havingopposing first and second sides, the second side attached to an end of adeck post, and the first side including an aperture; and a light postincluding opposing first and second ends, wherein the first end isreceived into the aperture, and the second end includes a slot thatextends across the second end in a direction transverse to a centrallongitudinal axis of the light post.
 2. The deck system of claim 1,comprising: a plurality of string lights on a string received in theslot.
 3. The deck system of claim 2, comprising: a plurality of the deckpost caps and a plurality of the light posts; wherein the second side ofeach deck post cap is attached to an end of a respective deck post;wherein the first side of each deck post cap receives a first end of arespective one of the plurality of light posts into its aperture; andwherein the string is received into a respective slot at the second endof each of the plurality of light posts.
 4. The deck system of claim 1,wherein the aperture is a blind hole.
 5. The deck system of claim 1,wherein: the deck system includes a threaded member that extends fromone of the first end of the light post and the aperture and engages theother of the first end of the light post and aperture to secure thelight post to the deck post cap.
 6. The deck system of claim 5, wherein:the aperture includes a first area having a first width, and a secondarea that has a second width that is less than the first width, thefirst area being closer to the first side of the deck post cap than thesecond area; and the threaded member engages an inner wall of the secondarea.
 7. The deck system of claim 6, wherein: the threaded member is arod that is threaded at both of its opposing first and second ends; thefirst end of the rod engages the inner wall of the second area; and thesecond end of the rod engages an inner wall of a cavity in the first endof the light post.
 8. The deck system of claim 1, wherein: the apertureis a first aperture; and a second aperture is provided on the secondside of the deck post cap, the second aperture having a width greaterthan a width of the first aperture, the second aperture is sized forreceiving the end of the deck post.
 9. A lighting kit, comprising: adeck post cap having opposing first and second sides, the first sideincluding a first aperture, and the second side including a secondaperture sized for attachment to an end of a deck post; and a light postcomprising opposing first and second ends, the first end configured forinsertion into the first aperture, the second end including a slot sizedto receive a string of lights.
 10. The lighting kit of claim 9, whereinthe slot extends across the second end of the light post in a directiontransverse to a central longitudinal axis of the light post.
 11. Thelighting kit of claim 9, wherein: the lighting kit includes a threadedmember configured to extend from one of the first end of the light postand the first aperture for engaging the other of the first end of thelight post and the first aperture to secure the light post to the deckpost cap.
 12. The lighting kit of claim 11, wherein: the first apertureincludes a first area having a first width, and a second area that has asecond width that is less than the first width, the first area beingcloser to the first side of the deck post cap than the second area; andthe threaded member engages an inner wall of the second area.
 13. Thelighting kit of claim 12, wherein: the threaded member is a rod that isthreaded at both of its opposing first and second ends; the first end ofthe rod engages the inner wall of the second area; and the second end ofthe rod engages an inner wall of a cavity in the first end of the lightpost.
 14. The lighting kit of claim 9, comprising an additional caphaving a length less than a length of the light post, the additional capconfigured to be received into threaded engagement with the firstaperture in place of the light post.
 15. The lighting kit of claim 14,wherein a plurality of the additional caps are provided which aredifferent from each other, each of the additional caps having a lengthless than a length of the light post and each being configured to bereceived into threaded engagement with the first aperture in place ofthe light post.
 16. A method of hanging string lights to a deck,comprising: mounting a first end of a light post to an end of a deckpost; and inserting a string to which a plurality of lights are attachedinto a slot at a second end of the light post that is opposite the firstend.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein said mounting comprises:mounting a second side of a deck post cap to the end of the deck post,wherein the deck post cap includes a first side opposite the secondside; and inserting the first end of the light post into a firstaperture in the first side of the deck post cap.
 18. The method of claim17, wherein said mounting a first side of deck post cap to the end ofthe deck post comprises inserting the end of the deck post into a secondaperture in the second side of the deck post cap, the second aperturehaving a width greater than a width of the first aperture.
 19. Themethod of claim 17, wherein said inserting comprises: engaging threadsfrom a threaded member that extends from one of the first end of thelight post and the first aperture with the other of the first end of thelight post and the aperture to secure the light post to the deck postcap.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein said engaging comprises:rotating the threaded member relative to first aperture to engage aninner wall of the first aperture; and rotating the threaded memberrelative to a second aperture in the first end of the light post toengage an inner wall of the second aperture.